North Star
by Goldfeather
Summary: They are some people who are so much a part of us, they'll be with us no matter what. They are our solid ground. Our North Star. Post-Always.
1. In my veins

******Summary:**** There are some people who are so much a part of us, they'll be with us no matter what. They are our solid ground. Our North Star. Post-Always.**

**Disclaimer: I have an oral exam tomorrow and I really should be studying right now. Instead I'm watching the last scene of Always over and over again like an obsessive maniac.**

Right in this moment when she slipped her hand in his, their world fell into place. They had stopped kissing for one second to look into each other's eyes and when she smiled at him Castle wondered how it was possible to be this _in love_.

To have another human being consume you, make every inch of your body tingle, make your heart feel like like it could burst any second.

In this moment when her words, _oh her beautiful words_, replayed in his mind and the taste of her delicate skin lingered on his lips, Castle had lost the last bit of control he held.

_I almost died and all I could think about was you._

Their kisses had been passionate, desperate even. His lips had gone from her lips to her neck and her chest. And then he had popped open her top button to look at it. Her scar.

And he had touched it, reverently. She had pressed his hand with her own over her heart. Her way to show him that her heart was his. She was finally sharing everything with him. Open, bare in front of him. Giving him everything. Kate could feel her heart hammering under his touch.

All of a sudden, his hands and lips had been everywhere, his erratic breath warm on her skin making her heart race, setting her insides on fire until he completely surrounded her.

_I just want you_

And as she raised her other hand to his face, her fingertips barely touching and her lips slow-danced along his, he neither could no longer feel anything. Except her. _Kate_.

She pulled on his hand and bit down on her lower lip, silently leading him away from the door but their eyes never left the other. The way he was looking at her anyway, she could have taken him anywhere for all he cared, as long as they stayed together.

She faced him again and walked backwards, pulling him with her. All he could see was her face, the most beautiful face he had ever seen. Gorgeous eyes and delicate angles. Her soaked hair sticking to her cheeks. The face of the woman he loved _beyond_ words and imagination.

Before he could register what was happening, she had walked them into his bedroom. She reached for his face again, her fingers trembling and he reached around her waist to press her body against his. They both exhaled loudly at the sensation and their lips sought each other like magnets.

_Oh, you're in my veins and I cannot get you out._

Slowly, torturously, he opened the rest of the buttons of her shirt, his mouth only leaving hers to pepper kisses down her throat again while her hands took turns between running though his hair and untucking his shirt.

When they were rid of both their shirts, Kate dropped her hands to run her hands over his chest then pushed slightly so that his legs hit the foot of the bed and he was forced to sit down. She settled on his lap and he went back to kissing her with a passion, his hands cradling her face first, then slipping thought her wet strands and finally down the soft skin of her sides.

Their faces remained a few inches apart and she nuzzled his nose with her own again as they both tried to calm their breathing.

When his hands found her thighs, she gasped in his face and arched even closer to him. He couldn't help it, he rocked his hips into hers and they both moaned at the sensation. _God_, the urgency he felt knowing that it was finally here, finally happening and nothing could ruin this perfect moment was exhilarating.

His face nestled between her breasts and his lips brushed her scar again before landing on the top of her breasts where they parted to let his tongue taste the delicate skin there. She panted softly and when he raised his head again to meet her eyes, she cupped his face and brought his forehead to her lips, pressing them lightly against his warm skin, _one, twice_.

Her touches were impossibly soft, his unbelievably tender.

Their love utterly transparent in every move they made.

Castle cupped her backside and lifted her to change their position. Kate locked her arms and legs around him, clinging to him like a koala bear. She burried her face in the hollow of his neck and breathed him in. He got up, turned them and laid her down on his bed.

_Oh, you're all I taste at night inside of my mouth._

He applied open-mouth kisses from the small hollow under her bra to her belly button and then he reached for the buttons of her pants and she raised her hips to help him slowly pull them down her legs. She was watching him watch her and everytime his eyes landed on a new parcel of skin, it set on fire. He then took care of his own pants pushing both items of clothing to the side with his foot.

They were both in their underwear now and they found that the magnetic pull between their skin suddenly became a whole new kind of torture, almost impossible to bear.

_Oh, you're in my veins and I cannot get you out._

He was lying over her in an instant and then his hands were eveywhere again as if wanting to touch every single inch of her at the same. Her legs intertwined with his, her tongue found his earlobe and her hands reached around his waist to stroke his lower back. And his sharp intake of breath told her that she was making it incredibly difficult for him not to rock his hips against hers again.

He kissed her shoulder soundly and very slowly pulled on her bra straps, the right one first, then the left, his lips following their descent down her arms. She reached behind her back to unhook it and he helped her take it off by sliding it down her arms and then throwing it behind him.

The heat in her body raised considerably when he started sucking on her nipples and her hips jerked involuntarily towards his. Castle took his time to lick and nip at every inch of her chest down to her belly and when he reached the line of her panties she could no longer hold back the moans stuck in her throat. _Castle, Castle, Castle._

She used her fingernails to graze his scalp and it took all it had in him not to rip the panties off of her. No, she was finally his and he was going to take his time. There wouldn't be any more first times. And he wanted her to feel how much he loved her, how much he ached for her, how much he had missed this even if they had never done it before, it was like finding the perfect puzzle piece to fit the hole in his heart that had been there ever since he could remember.

_There are some people who are so much a part of us, they'll be with us no matter what._

So, he kissed her through her panties first, enjoying the way her legs were shaking uncontrollably, then he slipped his fingers underneath the sides of the tiny piece of clothing and pulled them down, his fingers trailing down her legs in the process.

His fingers then started back up again from the underside of her feet and around her ankles to the soft skin of her shins and up to her incredibly long legs to her thighs. He applied the softest of kisses to the skin there in order to pry her legs open.

She moaned then and called out his name, pulled on his arms to bring his mouth back on hers. Their lips slow-danced again and they turned into a tingling heap of limbs. Open mouths tasting, naked chests brushing, hands roaming down each other's bodies.

Eventually, Kate reached down to pull his boxers down first with her hand then slid it further down his legs with her foot until they were both completely naked and so wrapped up around each other it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

When he pushed all the way into her, he did it at a torturous pace, trying to convey everything he felt for her with his eyes locked on hers as they finally became _one_.

_They are our solid ground. Our North Star. _

Kate slipped her fingers between his again. She had never felt so complete in her entire existence. And as they found their rhythm as easily as they did with everything else, she realized she had been wrong before, finding her mother's killer wasn't the most important thing in her life anymore. He was. Because without him, she didn't know who she was anymore. He had made his way into her _life_, into her _heart_, into her _veins_.

They were partners in every sense of the term. Or as he had said earlier even more than partners. Their connection was so strong that they had merged into one and the same. It was in the way they moved against each other - perfectly _in sync_, in the way they could say so much without words or lose themselves in each other's eyes. And in the wild beating of their hearts as their world burst into flames.

_And the small clear voices in our hearts that will be with us. Always._

__**I really hope you enjoyed it. I've been obsessed with Castle for a while now and I read an unhealthy amount of fanfiction about Castle and Beckett but this is my first attempt at posting anything. So, please try and leave a review. It would mean a lot!**

**Also, I apologize for any mistakes I may have made. I am not a native English speaker. And I hope it wasn't too obvious. **

**Thank you very much for reading!**


	2. Always you

**Thank you so very much to everyone who has reviewed the previous chapter! **

**I could never express how much your words mean to me. ****And I'll try to respond to each and everyone of you individually as soon as I can. I wasn't sure if I should continue or leave it as it was but your response convinced me to write more and now I'm so glad I did. **

**Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.**

Before he could even attempt to fall asleep, his heartbeat needed to slow down a bit. It was beating so _violently_ against his chest that the drama queen in him even considered the possibility that the emotional rush of it all could have caused him to have a heart attack.

And even as his eyelids shut and his body surrendered to the physical and emotional exhaustion of the last day, Castle's couldn't stop his over-active mind from replaying the life-alterning moment that had occured in his living room only a few hours ago.

_Nothing goes as planned. Everything will break._

The utter devastation he had felt when he had realized there wasn't anything he could say to stop her. That the woman who meant everything to him would run to her death and there was nothing he could do about it. Because even being there and loving her with everything he had in him didn't seem to be enough.

How she had kept haunting him even as he had walked out of her life forever. How she had suddenly appeared at his front door, soaked to the bone, her eyes _wild_ and _desperate_.

_Everything is dark. It's more than you could take._

That kiss. She had knocked the wind out of him. And he couldn't have pulled away even had he wanted to. Her warm breath blowing apologies on his face._ I'm so sorry, Castle. I'm so sorry_, her voice breaking softly,_ I'm _**so **_sorry_.

It would forever be branded in his _mind_, on his_ heart_, behind his_ eyelids_. The way her glorious eyes had shone with a whirlwind of emotions in the dimly lit room, silent tears sliding down her cheeks, her soft smile as she uttered words come out of a dream.

_But you catch a glimpse of sunlight. Shining._

And the pause. The clap of thunder. The moment it took for her perfect words to sink in. The tingling brush of her fingers against his skin. And how he had wanted to kiss her. _God_, how he had wanted to kiss her for the last four years. How he had wished and prayed for her to finally _see _him.

_Shining down on your face. Your face. __On your face._

Just when he had lost the last ounce of hope that had been like a _string_ holding the pieces of his heart together, she had flown into his apartement out of nowhere like a phoenix risen from the ashes.

And he had _devoured_ her.

_Never_ in his wildest dreams could he have predicted how it would feel to have the tremendous amount of love and desire he felt for her mirrored back to him in each of her exquisite kiss, each of her delicate touch.

_Together_ they were more beautiful than anything he could ever write. _No words_ could quite convey the_ beauty _of them, the _magic_ of them. Because if this wasn't magic, Castle didn't know anything anymore.

There was no going back now. Now that every inch of him was_ filled _with her. Only her. _Kate_.

And as he fell into a deep, sated slumber, the length of her warm body pressed tightly against him, her soft breaths on his neck like_ waves_ crashing on the shore,_ back and forth_, Castle couldn't help but think that everything that had happened in his life up until that point, every road he had travelled on had led him to this _one_ moment.

After circling around each other, aspirated in some kind of spiral, out of their control -

They had crashed together. _Falling and flying_. It had been inevitable.

. . .

The first thing he became aware of was the hair tickling his nose, and the overwhelming scent of her sending shivers down his spine.

The memories of their night together flowed through his mind like the most delectable daydream. The way their bodies had fit together perfectly, the delicious warmth of her body, the taste of her skin on his tongue, the sound of her whimpers in his ear, the blend of light and shadow on her face, the feel of her coming undone in his arms. _God,_ he could have easily spent a lifetime reveling in the memories.

How much time he spent just lying still, breathing her in, their limbs tangled together, not knowing exactly what was _hers_ and what was_ his_, he couldn't possibly say.

It wasn't until he felt her exhale loudly and smile against his skin that he knew she was awake too. Castle run his fingertips along her back then, writing, _inscribing_ non-sensical words into her skin. And he didn't even attempt to stop the content smile that formed on his face when he felt the goosebumps erupt all over her.

Kate snuggled further into him and mumbled something that sounded like his name against his shoulder. She kept her eyes shut tightly but she brushed her lips against the skin she found there and trailed a path of kisses towards his neck. She either couldn't help the smile spreading on her face as he moved, _barely_, away from the top of her head to look down at her.

Waking up _with_ him, _against_ him,_ in_ him was absolutely incredible. At no point in her adult life, since her mother had been ripped away from her, had she felt like she _belonged_ more than she did now. In his arms, she felt so safe, _so safe_. Oh, that man.

He had saved her so many_ times_ and in so many _ways_. First by being there,_ always_, in all these life-threatening situations they had found themselves in. He had saved her from _burning_, from _freezing_, from _drowning_, from _bombs_, and _tigers_, and _bullets_.

But it was mostly with his words, she had always held on to, whether they were written in his books, before they had even met, or spoken to her when she needed them the most.

_Most people come up against a wall, they give up. Not you. You don't let go, you don't back down. That's what makes you extraordinary._

Because with his words he had saved her from herself. He had saved her from falling into that deep, dark _hole_ inside of her.

And this time, when she had literally been _falling_, he had saved her again. But this time, it was by _not_ being there.

Facing death without him, all alone, looking down at the street so far below, she had been reminded of the advice of an old friend. _The last thing you want is too look back on your life and wonder... If only. _And that's exactly what she had done, hanging from that roof, only by her fingers.

_Oh God, no. Not like this. Come on, no!_

And it was _his_ voice she had heard in her head, calling for her._ Beckett! Beckett, hang on!_ And she had _screamed_ his name, and _begged_ for him so much. She had prayed and _prayed_ for him to be there, to save her. This one last time, so she could stop wasting time and finally, truly live.

_Castle! Castle, here. No! Oh God, Castle! **Castle!**_

Kate shuddered at the memory, of her fingers slipping under the pull of the earth on her body, of the _unbearable_ pain she felt at the mere thought that it was the _end_, that she wouldn't get a second chance, that she would never see _him_ again.

But she calmed herself by clinging to him a little bit more. Because she knew there was no way he was letting her go now. If she ended up falling, one thing was sure, he would be there to catch her or they would be falling together.

She raised her head towards his and, slowly her long lashes went up and her eyes immediately found his, they had never looked so _blue_.

"Hey", they whispered at the same time. It was ridiculous how coordinated they were, always saying the same thing at the same time or finishing each other's sentences. So they both grinned. The pure joy and intensity of their feelings pouring out of their eyes.

_Oh, you're in my veins and I cannot get you out._

Castle unlocked one of his arms from around her back to run his thumb affectionately under her left eye. He had always wanted to touch the tiny beauty mark that laid there. Kate reached up and placed her hand over his, stroking the back of it softly. She applied firm kisses to his palm and nuzzled her nose into it before meeting his eyes again.

They lost themselves there for a moment before Castle murmured, "Coffee?"

But to his surprise, she shook her head slowly, her infinitely beautiful eyes never leaving his.

"As much as I love coffee, Castle, it wasn't the coffee that made me smile, it was always _you_."

_Oh no, I cannot get you out._

His heart fluttered as she bridged the small gap between their faces and pressed her lips to his nose before she whispered it again against his mouth. "_Always you_."

**I hope you enjoyed it as much as the last one. If so, please let me know. ****And enjoy your new day in Post-Always bliss.**


	3. Insanely Close

**. **

** Exams over, _check_.**

**_ Always_ watched a semi-million times, _check._**

** Retreat in _Ficland_ for the summer, _check_.**

**. **

**Thank you so much to all of you who take the time to review! Each and everyone of you make my day, cross that, my week.**

Castle was floating. Kate Beckett was like a _drug_ and he never wanted to come back from his high. In a matter of hours, he had developped an insane, but nonetheless true, _addiction_ to her skin.

It had only been minutes since they had shared their first good-morning kiss and they were already on a frenzy, all over each other with lips and tongues and caresses that could only lead them to a repeat of the previous night's activities.

Castle pulled her on top of him, the weight of her naked body a delicious pressure on his. They shared a slow and languid kiss until they were out of breath and panting. Their legs tangled and fingers trailed along each other's skin. Things got really heated when Castle's hands started paying special attention to her behind. She moaned into his neck, the vibrations echoing inside of him. And the little circles she made with her hips that left no doubt as to where their cuddle session was headed.

They both sat up, Kate wrapped her legs around his torso and pushed her hands into the mattress behind her to raise herself so that he could slide into her. They both gasped at the feeling of their bodies joined together once again, _boiling_, and then they started rocking together. Castle's mouth was everywhere, nipping and licking at her neck, at her breasts like a _madman_, his hands cupping her backside to rock deeper into her making her tremble.

Kate held onto his muscular back for dear life, head thrown back, eyes closed and mouth agape, her whimpers encouraging him to go deeper, higher, faster. _More, more, more._

_God, Castle._

And he was more than happy to oblige. To listen to her every command to ravish her. To make love to her with a passion he had never experienced before.

And everytime he thought it couldn't get any better, it did just that. Just when Kate felt she had reached her highest point, Castle proved her wrong by applying two fingers between her legs which made her clench around him and then they were both _gone_. Sent spiralling into the crashing waves of pleasure that washed over their bodies.

They stayed like this for a while, heads dropped on each other's shoulder, trying in vain to catch their breaths and calm the loud drumming in their chests. Until Kate started laughing. Full on laughing, this loud and clear laugh. Castle raised his head to meet her eyes with a questionning look. Still, when he got a glimpse of the expression of her face, he couldn't help but mirror her smile. It was one of pure joy.

"Laughing after sex? really?", he asked. It only made her laugh more.

"Aw- poor baby, don't tell me your ego needs more stroking, not after this."

Castle couldn't hide the spark of desire in his eyes. It was amazing how little he needed. Little like the words _baby_ and _stroking _coming out of Kate Beckett's mouth.

"Well, you tell me, Kate. In my book, if a woman bursts out laughing right after sex, a man is allowed to have doubts."

"Don't worry, Castle." she caressed the side of his face, cupped his chin and kissed it lightly as her laughter subsided.

"I was just thinking we'd never would have made it four years had we known we were missing out on _that_."

Castle's proud grin reached his ears and Kate gently smoothed the little wrinkles that appeared next to his eyes.

"I mean, that was..." Kate trailed on shaking her head, a stupid grin on her face. _God, had she really become that girl?_

Castle kissed her smile, like he had wanted to do so many times before. Like that time they were in Los Angeles, when he had told her he was amazed by her _strength_, her _heart,_ and her _hotness,_ _oh_ and that time she had told him about how she used to watch _Temptation Lane_ snuggled up on the couch with her mom. That gorgeous smile had just been waiting and begging for his lips.

"Let's just say... I_ really_ had _no idea_."

Kate's eyes twinkled at the mention of their first case when he had asked her out.

_"Why, Castle? So I can be another one of your conquests?"_

_"Or I could be one of yours?" _But of course, she had shot him down.

_"It's nice to meet you, Castle."_

_"It's too bad. It would have been great."_

He'd always remember the adorable way she had bit down on her lower lip, the first of many times he would see her do that, her sexy whisper in his ear.

_"You have no idea."_

Castle laid her back on the bed and settled next to her so they both had their feet propped up on the pillows. The previous night's rainstorm had left a clear sky. Calm washed over them as they lied facing each other, eyes _shining_, toes _brushing_. Kate snuggled closer to him and Castle slipped his fingers tenderly through her now dry but messy hair, reveling in the feel of the strands of her hair in between his fingers and admiring the way the soft rays pooling through the window made her skin glow.

They were in a bubble, of love and morning-after bliss.

Kate raised her hand to his ear and started playing with it.

"Castle?" She kept her voice slightly above a whisper, she didn't want to disrupt the peace of their intimacy.

Castle turned his head to land a soft kiss on her wrist. It was like his lips had a mind of their own and they could not go five minutes without reaching to touch her.

"Hmm?"

"I resigned."

"You...what?" he searched for her eyes, a light frown wrinkling his features.

"I resigned, Castle. I walked away. Gates suspended us, Javi and me. So I had to hand in my gun and badge. But I told her to keep them. I'm not coming back."

"Kate, are you sure? You love your job. It's so much a part of you."

"Yes, but so are you. Remember when I told you I wouldn't know who I am if I didn't pursue my mom's case? I don't want it to define me anymore. Not now that I have this, now that I have us. It's everything I need."

Castle sighed, let her words sink in.

This near-death experience she had went through had to have been intense based on all the life-altering decisions it had conjured up in her. And the writer in him was dying to find out what had happened, for the story was missing parts, but he chose not to push her for now.

"I just want you to be happy, Kate."

"I am happy, right here, with you. The wall has finally come down. And I just need a little time to figure things out. But this time, I want to spend it with you. No more summers apart."

He brought her face to his, breathed a sigh of relief on her cheek before kissing it soundly.

"No more." He pulled on her waist as well and squeezed it as if suddenly struck by the memory of these awfully long summers without her.

"But Castle you have to promise me something."

"Anything." His tone was sure, solemn.

There was a pause, then. Kate looked down, took a breath.

"You won't leave me?"

The pure fragility in her voice was heartbreaking.

To say Castle was a little taken aback by her question was an understatement. He pushed himself swiftly up on one elbow to look down at her, his other hand still on her cheek.

"Of course. I'll never leave you, Kate. I could never leave you, don't you see? _God, Kate_. From the moment we met-"

He found it hard to put his emotions into words and even harder to push past the lump in his throat. Kate blinked back the slight moisture in her eyes at the sight. Her favorite writer stumbling over words for her.

"Even when I thought you didn't feel the same way, that you were leading me on-"

She immediately shook her head. "Castle, I wasn't-"

"I know, Kate. I know that now. But even then, even when I wanted - _needed_ - to leave, to get away, I could never do it completely."

"It's just that everyone in my life I've ever let myself trust has left me in one way or another."

Seeing her this_ open_, her soul _bare_, her wounds _on display_ - it was so _new_ to him.

Castle's mind reeled. Both her mentors, Royce and Montgomery had betrayed her before being robbed of their lives. Sorenson had left her. Even her own parents, he thought. _Her father's alcoholism. Her mother's murder_. Of course it wasn't Johanna Beckett's intention to leave her daughter motherless but still, death has a way to make you feel _abandoned_.

"I know you've been here for four years and you've been so wonderful-"

Castle broke her off with a kiss. All night he had brushed his lips to her_ bruises_, her _scars_, the marred skin a _visible_ evidence of her battles. Now, he wanted to heal her inner wounds, until now hidden to him, _invisible_ and yet more _painful_ that any physical injury.

It made him so angry. It cut through him really - how life had treated her, how so many people she trusted had damaged her. How he wished he could have been there all along, to make her feel_ loved_ and _protected_.

Kate closed her eyes and let the tender, repetitive touches of his lips soothe her fears away.

"And - that's - the - way - it's - going - to - stay.", he murmured in between kisses.

"I know I don't have the best track record as relationships go and I know this is going to sound like a classic excuse but they were the wrong women. And you... " he looked at her with such devotion, "are _so_ right. Don't you feel it? How_ right_ we are for each other?"

"Yeah." Kate could actually feel her insides melt at his words.

"I've never felt like this before, Kate."

She wrapped her arms around him, _clinging_, buried into him and Castle could feel her unbelievable smile widening on his heated skin. "Me neither."

**I know, I've made you wait quite a while for this one but I hope you still enjoy it because I've got a lot more coming!**

******For those of you who've been wondering, I'm from France but I just finished a three-year course on American and British Literature. So, it's expected of me to speak and write English fluently. I'm always looking to improve, though.**

******Please, let me know what you think and stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	4. Love Bubble

**I'm awfully sorry for making you wait this long. Life has been hectic, you all know how it can get. I hope you enjoy this one.**

Somewhere in between kisses, their hungry stomachs decided to make their presence known and they decided to interrupt their morning activities so they could have breakfast.

"What would you like?", Kate asked, "pancakes? omelet? waffles?"

"You'd make all those for me?" Castle couldn't stop grinning.

"I'll do anything you want me to", she replied in a sensual voice and sultry eyes before she dipped a teasing finger under the waistband of his boxers.

Castle froze on the spot._ Damn, woman_.

Then, she hopped off the bed, put her underwear back on, slipped his deep red shirt over them. But once she was in the doorway, she turned back to him with an innocent look in her eyes.

"You coming, Castle?"

Castle broke out of the transe she had put him in a few moments before, shook his head and smirked. "Aren't I always?"

He ran after her, swiftly wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, making her burst into a fit of giggle. He looked down at her face, in_ awe._ Her dimples were_ irresistible_. He wanted to kiss them again and again.

He sweeped her off her feet and settled her on the counter before dropping tender, little kisses on her mouth and cheeks. Kate put her hand on either sides of his face and moaned, encouraging him to go _deeper_ into her mouth. Their tongues brushed.

"Hmm. Castle. Breakfast."

"Right." He sighed and dropped one last kiss on her nose. "Okay, tell me what you need, and I'll hand it to you."

They made breakfast together doing their best team work. Beckett commanding him and him going out of his way to make her laugh and try new things. _Their usual dance._

That thought made his eyes twinkle.

"We should shower before Alexis gets home", Kate suggested once they were done with breakfast.

"You know, that might be really soon", Castle glancing at his watch, "I don't see how we could fit two showers into that small amount of time."

Kate narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head.

"Oh, and what exactly are you suggesting, Mr. Castle?"

"Me? Just a time saving alternative, nothing more."

"Right", she smirked. "Well? Lead the way."

She could tell by his shocked look that he had been joking earlier and he was probably expecting her to decline his proposition.

"Do you plan on standing there all day? I thought the plan was to save time."

The boyish grin on Castle's face was infectious.

Once in the bathroom, they undressed each other again in record time and stepped into the shower together. Castle tested the water temperature first. "Is this okay?", he asked. "not too hot?"

He was so sweet. Kate only smiled devilishly before pushing him in. "I like it hot."

As steam filled the room, Kate seized the body wash and poured a good amount in her hand. But instead of using it to wash herself, she scrubbed his body down gently. She spread it from his arms and back to his belly and even squatting to reach down to his legs before straightening up to apply soapy fingers to his face and neck. She let her thumbs brush affectionately under his eyes, over his eyebrows and around his chin. She avoided his gaze the whole time, her eyes solely focused on his skin. But she could feel his heated look on her, he was watching her like he couldn't believe she was doing this.

Yet she was. Kate. Washing him. It was both the sexiest thing and so very tender.

He could have watch her do it all day but what he wanted more was to retaliate. He reached for the body wash and began to run his hands along her body. He spread the fresh scented soap down her arms, taking each of her hands into his own and making sure he had every finger. He spent extra time drawing shapes on her belly and on top of her breasts with his fingers. Then he stepped behing her to rub it into her back delicately and took the time to knead her shoulders which elicited a moan from Kate. Her head dropped on his shoulder of its own accord and her eyes closed when he started massaging her neck.

She could feel his body respond to her moans and when he buried his nose in her wet hair and inhaled, his sighs were shaky and his fingers trembling.

"Castle, are you sure we have time-" He cut her off by shushing in her ear.

"I haven't done your legs yet." He licked at her earlobe before stepping back in front of her and dropping to his knees. He poured some more body wash into his palm and proceeded to spread it down her thighs and shins before lifting off each of her feet to rub in between her toes, which tickled her of course. "Castle, watch it."

He grinned up at her and she used her index finger to tap his nose in warning.

Her eyes were filled with so much love it took his breath away. _God, Kate_. It had only been a few hours since she'd showed up at his doorstep. She had fueled more passion into his limbs than he had ever felt. He felt like he was_ possessed_, like it was too much for _one man_, _one body_, like he could _eat_ her alive.

He pressed his eager mouth to her knee and applied open-mouth kisses up her thighs _slowly_,_ torturously_. He used both hands to pry her legs open and when he licked her inner thigh, Kate started to _shake_. She gripped his head, held him back so she could catch her breath and her fingernails scraped his skull.

Castle's mouth finally reached its destination and then all hell broke loose.

Kate's mind was sent tumbling down the drain. After that, it was all_ tongue_ and_ lips_ and _fire._ Sounds she didn't recognize erupted from her mouth. _God, it felt so good._

In one swift motion, he got up and brought her numb body up with him, her back pressed up against the bathroom tile right under the spray of water, her legs locked tightly around his waist and then he was inside her, and they were climbing, higher and higher towards their inevitable but _oh_ so pleasurable fall.

She clinged to his back. He was carrying her full weight, she only had to let herself go. Her vision blurred. _Castle._

He pressed his mouth to her collarbone in an attempt to bury the roar that came from deep inside of him and she felt it_ vibrating_ through her whole body mingling with the aftershocks of her own _eruption_.

They stayed like this for a while, struggling to calm their erratic breathing, their chests fighting for space to fill up their lungs with much needed air.

Enventually, he let go of her legs and before she could register what he was doing, he had seized the shampoo bottle and squeezed a generous amount on top of both their heads. He let his soapy fingers glide through her strands gently, then he made little circles making it bubble. And when he tried to blow one in between his fingers, she laughed.

In her current blissful state, Kate could only grin at his boyishness. She slipped her own fingers through his soapy hair which made it stand straight up on top of his head and elicited another fit of laughter. She used the shampoo foam left in her hands to blow a bubble of her own, much bigger than his. And sent a victorious glance in his direction.

Castle shook his head. She couldn't be any more enticing if she tried. _When would he wake up from this dream?_

The sound of the front door shutting broke him out of his reverie. Alexis was home.

Kate immediately snapped out of their fun-filled haze and dropped her head back under the spray to finish rinsing her hair. Their love bubble had burst.

"Dad?" Alexis's voice could be heard from the other side of the door, along with a small knock. "Dad, are you in there?"

"Yes, honey, I'm here. We'll be out in a minute."

Hearing him mention her, Kate's eyes snapped opened reminding him those of a deer caught in the headlights.

"We?", she squeaked before elbowing him in the ribs. "Castle!"

"Ow! Yes,_ we_. Kate, she's going to see you eventually."

"Yes, but she probably doesn't want to know about-"

As if on cue, Alexis chose this moment to speak through the door once again.

"Ew, Dad, I don't need to know_ that_. Just wanted to let you know I'm home. The clothes scattered all over the room were kind of a clue anyway. _Ew_. Uh, see you in a bit."

Castle turned to a mortified Kate.

"See?", he tried with a smile, "she already knew with the clothes-" which only earned him another elbow in his side.

"Ow! Okay. Shutting up, now," but he couldn't hide the smirk which threatened to take over his face in a full on grin.

They got dressed and cleaned up the mess in Castle's bedroom quickly. Castle could sense that Kate was nervous so he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. He kissed the back of her hand affectionately before brushing his thumb over it. He didn't need any word. His look was reassuring.

When they stepped into the living room, Alexis was sitting at the counter, pretending to read a magazine but clearly waiting for them to come out though she would never admit it. Her deep blue eyes grew larger when she took notice of the two dressed and freshly showered people before her.

"Detective Beckett?" The surprise was all over her face.

"Hi", Kate greeted shyly.

"Hi, daughter", Castle beamed at her before landing a kiss on her forehead. "How was the party?"

"Great. How about you, Dad? I guess you managed to survive an evening at home without me after all."

"I guess you could say that. Let's just say I found something on my doorstep much more interesting than cable channels and video games."

Castle glanced at Kate who was looking down at the floor, her face flushed.

"Okay. Well, do you have something planned for lunch? Because I'm starving. And I'm in the mood for spaghetti. Will you be staying for lunch, Detective Beckett?"

"Alexis, you know you can call me Kate. And I'd like to. I mean, if you don't mind. Unless you want some father-daughter alone time, in which case I'm perfectly okay with-" _Man_,_ she was starting to ramble._

"No, no, stay. Sorry if it takes a while for me to call you Kate. I'm so used to calling you Detective Beckett by now." She glanced at her Dad and smirked. "Plus, it's all I hear", she added,"Beckett this, Beckett that..."

Now, it was Castle's turn to blush.

"So, you're okay with the three of us... hanging out here?" Castle and Alexis shared a look and Kate could tell that there was some hidden meaning lying under his question.

Alexis's reply, however, was loud and clear.

"Sure. As long as you're happy, Dad. And you don't get hurt. Then I'm okay with it."

Kate could feel that the remark about not getting hurt was directly addressed to her - in a _"if you hurt him, I'll kill you"_ kind of way - but it was also oddly adorable how protective she was of him.

Castle took a pan out of the cupboard to start boiling water for the spaghetti and listened to Alexis chat him up about her graduation party. Kate sat next to his daughter. The smell of his body wash lingered on her skin and invaded her nostrils, it helped her relax a bit.

She would have given them their privacy, had Alexis wanted her to leave. But hearing she wanted her to stay was a such a relief. Because, truth be told, though she had only been with Castle for a few hours, she couldn't imagine leaving his side.

As if he could read her mind, Castle locked eyes with her, his blue orbs gleaming with joy. He winked at her.

Yeah, there was no way she was leaving.

**My inbox has overflown with story alerts and I really appreciate it but reviews make the time I spend editing all worthwhile. I'd like to say that I'm not the type to beg for reviews, that I write for me only but it simply isn't true. Let's be honest, your opinion matters. So, please use the blue button below. Thank you!**

**I have loads of ideas but little time to write this month. However, if you're still interested, I promise I'll try my best to post more frequently. All the best to you all Castle fans!**


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